FSU hires Alabama assistant as new defensive coordinator

TALLAHASSEE — After more than four days of keeping its fans and reporters in the dark, Florida State finally and officially announced Thursday afternoon the hiring of Jeremy Pruitt as new defensive coordinator.

Pruitt comes to the Seminoles after three seasons as the defensive backs coach at Alabama. He will spend the next two weeks helping the rest of the Crimson Tide’s staff in preparing for Alabama’s appearance in the national championship game next month against Notre Dame.

“This is a great opportunity for me to join another one of the top college football programs in the country and take over as defensive coordinator for one of the best defenses out there,” the 38-year-old Pruitt said in a news release.

“I really appreciate Coach [Jimbo] Fisher and his staff in welcoming me to the Seminole family.”

During a session with reporters at the conclusion of Thursday afternoon’s Orange Bowl practice, Fisher told reporters that Pruitt wasn’t the only hire made. Former Tennessee and Alabama assistant Sal Sunseri was signing his paperwork as Fisher talked with reporters, the head coach said.

Sunseri, who was fired last month after serving one year as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, will become FSU’s defensive ends coach and possibly serve as its new special teams coordinator.

According to offer letters obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, Pruitt will make slightly more than $542,000 in annual salary.

Sunseri, who will coach in the bowl game, will receive about $200,000 in annual salary.

Both stand to make more in bonuses. Sunseri had been scheduled to make $800,000 in 2013 and $850,000 in 2014 from Tennessee before he was fired last month, according to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.

Official start dates at FSU for Sunseri and Pruitt will be Jan. 5, according to the documents.

Pruitt’s addition came after former FSU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops was hired to be head coach at Kentucky. It is Stoops’ first head-coaching job.

Similarly, this will be Pruitt’s first time serving as a college coordinator.

“I’m very excited to add Jeremy to our staff,” Fisher said. “He brings a lot to the table. He’s one of the bright young coaches in college football. He’s done an outstanding job at Alabama and in the past as a great high school coach.

‘A GOOD PERSON’

“He’s also a good recruiter, but most importantly of all, he’s a great person. I’m really looking forward to him coming to Florida State and helping us to continue achieving the success that we’ve had and will continue to have. We’re very fortunate to be adding him to our program.”

Tabbed as the nation’s top recruiter in 2012 by 247Sports.com, Pruitt brings to Tallahassee a strong foundation in evaluating and developing young talent.

He has won his share of recruiting battles in recent years, most notably landing prized running back T.J. Yeldon, and flipping the commitment of defensive lineman Alphonse Taylor from FSU last year.

Pruitt also has spent time with some of the nation’s top cornerbacks and safeties in recent seasons, including first-round NFL Draft picks Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie.

“Jeremy did an outstanding job for us and the opportunity for him to become the defensive coordinator at Florida State is well deserved,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in a release.

“We always want our coaches to grow and advance in the profession and Jeremy has worked very hard through the years to earn this opportunity and put himself in this situation.”

Fisher and Saban worked together when they both were at LSU about a decade ago. They remain close friends.

Before taking over as an assistant at Alabama, Pruitt, a native of the small north Alabama town of Plainview, coached at Hoover High School near Birmingham. Younger football fans may remember him as the defensive coordinator at Hoover on the MTV reality show “Two-A-Days.”

In addition to searching for a defensive coordinator, the Seminoles had been looking for a replacement for defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot and running backs coach and special teams coordinator Eddie Gran.

Eliot is leaving to become Stoops’ defensive coordinator at Kentucky, and Gran will be joining Cincinnati’s new staff as its offensive coordinator.

Good pick up for the Noles. Recently though the Defense was never really the problem there or recruiting for that matter. As long as Fisher is calling his off. plays they could just have more of the same.